Buddleia - Lavender

[Ann B.]

I cut this one back tremendously, a couple of times a year, and it simply blooms and blooms and blooms. It never really goes dormant in the winter, but instead, it simply stops blooming.

The butterflies LOVE this one!

[Ann B.]

They make great cut flowers...

[Rebecca]

Ann,

It is beautiful, isn't it!

Mine lives on while both my dark purple and pink failed to return this spring. Also lost my yellow cuttings, whaaaa.

I have several seedings, all of which are hybrids (natural), and I really should move a couple of them, but they are too far into their growth cycle now to even try to move. Darn.

That is the only problem with the Budleias up here, they just don't last very long, 3 years tops.

I am thinking my friend, Diane, has one of the other yellow starts and if so, it is alive and growing well. If it blooms and proves to be a yellow I will take cuttings!

Rebecca

[Dazed_Lily]

Hmm. Wally World is having an amzing Buddleia Nanno sale--reading Ann's post sold me on them but Rebecca(whose zone is closer if not the same as mine) has me wondering. I guess I can buy one and do some propagating. I also want to snap up a Crape Myrtle if they have the variety I want still. 'Tis the season for discounted potted plants :-)

[Rebecca]

Hmm. Wally World is having an amzing Buddleia Nanno sale--reading Ann's post sold me on them but Rebecca(whose zone is closer if not the same as mine) has me wondering. I guess I can buy one and do some propagating. I also want to snap up a Crape Myrtle if they have the variety I want still. 'Tis the season for discounted potted plants :-)

The Budleias or Butterfly Bush, are a wonderful semi-hardy shrub for our zone 5 gardens. I call them "semi-hardy" because they only seem to live 3 to 4 years. HOWEVER, they will self sow and these seedlings seem to be hardier BUT you do not get the same color. I have gotten, the lavender and a pink and even the dark purple from seed (I had a dark purple one at one time) and I have even gotten a different color all together! The butterflies and Hummers love these, so do moths as well as any other nectar eating insect or bird. AND the Praying Mantis will take up[ residence in one and the females will lay her eggs deep in the bush. So they do have many really good point even if they are short lived.

As far as propagating them, it can be done now, but better results are had in the spring. Warmth, constant moisture and high humidity along with an application of a good rooting powder will help and as soon as new growth begins, gradually reduce the added warmth and humidity until the cutting are in normal air and temps.

Keeping the bloomed out branches will keep them blooming longer but it also cuts down on the number of seed heads that will be ready/ripe by fall when the small finch type birds begin to feed from them Also the reason you will have seedlings pop up in some of the strangest places!

As for Crape Myrtle, "they" say there is a northern hardy version, but I suspect they are still iffy. IF you get one, have plenty of mulch ready to pike on after the ground freezes. And I do mean pile it on - perhaps 12" deep and covering the entire root zone.

Have fun!:cool:


Rebecca

[Dazed_Lily]

Rebecca- Just got back. They were even more discounted than I thought ! $1.25 each. It's funny, as far as the Crape Myrtle goes, I had done my homework on varieties that I had seen there the other day. When I got there though, I first stood back and said who looks healthy regardless of variety. As luck would have it, it was a variety I had overlooked and had not researched and it had no 'stats' tag. It is Twilght-I got 2. I wanted Centennial Spirit and got 2 but Twilight looked the most robust. This is significant because these plants withstood 105 plus degree temps in the outdoor screened nursery and drought conditions. So I will look up Twilight after this post. Got 3 Buddleias. Thank you for the pointers re mulch,etc. That gives them all a fighting chance !

[Rebecca]

Cathy,

Just a quick reply; it wouldn't hurt to heavily mulch the Budleias too, but they don't need as much - 4 inches wiil do and then if you want, you can pile in leaves around the "canes" and those that survive will make new shoots, just DO NOT REMOVE the mulch too soon. Remember the "Buds" are late to wake up, usually around June. I'd take those shoots as starts, clean cut them odd next to the old "cane", dip in rooting powder and go from there. And if ya get a bit of the old "cane" that's even better.


"R"

[Dazed_Lily]

Rebecca- I mulched the 3 Buddleias yesterday and am hoping for the best.
Yesterday was the annual lily pot run where I cart all the lily pots from the yard to the garage. At least this year, I was able to put air in the wheelbarrow tire--uphill with a flat tire is alot of work. Also did my best impression of Paulette Bunyon as I attempted to cut a neighboring branch hanging over my new daylily bed(the house is vacant). Armed with my little bucksaw, I took aim at a mulberry branch which I realized was really a tree limb but I was already way into the cutting when I realized I had a 20 foot--heavy --tree limb. After wranging it off the fence, I had to cut it into 4 foot pieces so the garbage collector would take it. I have no idea how I did it but I did ! It will be 18 tonight but 60 today so today is the last hoorah outside as far as last winter preps of plants.

[Rebecca]

If you can, add another layer of leaves to the "Buds" after the ground freezes hard. Why do you STILL have lilies in pots and which ones are they? (I assume you mean "Liliums" not Hems). Not really fating you, heck I still have them in pots as well as TB and DS Iris, and a few Blackberry lilies too! As well as a few other perennials that didn't make it into the ground this season. (Hopefully next).

The drought has finally ended here or is at least coming to an end. Everything in the mountain of mulch cum compost got a really deep soak as well as the entire pile of mulch, this will help prep the plants for the coming winter months. I will have to get out there and take the bowl off of the bird bath and try to corral my potted weeping willow so it stays upright. Come spring it MUST go into a bigger pot/tub.


All y'all have a HAPPY THANKSGIVING!




7235

[Great-Full]

Sorry I'm so late Becca...hope your turkey day was wonderful. Your card's beautiful.

[Rebecca]

Sorry I'm so late Becca...hope your turkey day was wonderful. Your card's beautiful.

No worries! Thank you, pleased you liked it! I'm off to put my feet up and NOT have horse sized dogs thinking they are lap dogs and trying to use my lap! Talk about spoiled dogs! Oy Vey!

"R"